Friday, October 05, 2007
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El Dia de la Hispanidad

by Celine

El Día de la Hispanidad (Hispanic Day or Columbus Day in the USA) is the national holiday of Spain. It is celebrated on October 12 and commemorates the exact date that Cristobal Colon (Christopher Columbus) first set foot in the Americas.

To commemorate this special day, a special parade is held in la Plaza de Colon, in Madrid, led by the Spanish military and followed by the King and the Royal Family. A wide array of other authorities, from foreign diplomats positioned in Spain to the presidents of the Autonomous governments, are invited to attend this parade. The Spanish Armed forces also fly through the air doing aerobatics with red and yellow smoke drawing images in for the crowd to see.

The discovery of America was so important for Spain because this is what started the expansion of the Spanish language and culture across to the newly found land. In Latin America, this holiday is also celebrated under the name Día de la Raza (Day of the Race) or Día de las Culturas (Day of the Cultures) marking the first encounters of Europeans with Native Americans.